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Helpful Tips For Improving Your Drawing Skills

Helpful Tips For Improving Your Drawing Skills

Sketching or drawing are two therapeutic practices that many people indulge in. While you may do it because of the profession, some simply like to add stories and visuals in their journals. In addition, beginners wish to acquire prolific attributes to draw better. And, if you ask professionals or seasoned artists, they will ask you to follow your fingers and just draw. Some people are photographers or designers and do not understand the know-how of observational and technical acumen resulting from drawing. Furthermore, such a lack of observation leads to losing the drawer’s eye – an eye for details. So, how do you enhance it?

Drawing tends to slow your process. And, when you draw, you end up taking time to observe an object kept in front of you, analyze, and reproduce it. In short, you are not setting up to capture and move, then go to the following image. A drawer becomes quite aware of the proportion, color, and form. This further allows you to understand shadow and light and how these define and reveal form. Moving on, all of this awareness translates into a visual pursuit.

Improve your drawing skills

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However, for people who want to get better when it comes to drawing, here are some recommendations and tips:

1.Go draw something and repeat.

The basic thumb rule says that practice results in improvement. Even professionals recommend a beginner to keep drawing. The more you practice, the more skills you will develop. Not only does this make sense, but it would be a shame for a drawer to think otherwise. For any craft that involves your brain or hands, it needs time and wild specimens. Consequently, plan on engaging to attempt.

2.Look at drawings.

Like writers read and write in various niches, artists need to follow a similar structure and example. Be it simple renderings or meticulous line drawings, one can simply learn a lot from observing other people’s work, contemplating how different artists used their shapes and lines. How did they add shades to their drawings? You need to ask all these questions initially.

3.Draw from drawings.

If somebody tells you that you should not copy a Da Vinci or any other sketch just because you won’t learn anything, ask them to relax. There are tons of new things you can learn while copying the legendary illustrations. Just like teachers teach us what they know, you would be following on the same trail. The only difference – it’s the art, and you need to draw it on a canvas yourself. You are your own teacher here.

4.Draw from photographs.

Draw from photographs

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For many drawers and sketch artists, it is relatively easier to reproduce two-dimensional images. Instead, drawers do not look forward to reproducing a 3-D object, environment, and persons. However, the fact being, when a drawer works on photos, loof for edges, angles, and shapes. Do not indulge in tracing. Keep in mind that several images comprise distorted proportions, scale, and forms. Try using other photos as references. But, only pursue accurate proportions while drawing a specific sketch.

5.Draw from life.

If one is simply starting, try picking specific objects and shapes and work through to complex ones. If you have people around with pets, draw them out. Well, if that is not the case either, draw your living spaces and furniture. And, if this does not ring any bell, you need to look for what is close. If you love drinking coffee, draw a coffee mug. But, here’s a challenge, begin by drawing your hands. Feet and hands are two of the complex parts of your anatomy. Moreover, they are the most readily available subject matter to draw. If you can master these minor aspects of drawing, you have fewer steps to climb on a ladder.

6.Take a class.

Drawing is about how much you perceive and observe. If you can enroll in a class nearby, that would help significantly. In addition, watching others draw is ideal for building your skills. Check for local university extensions, YMCA, community adult school, or community college. Yet another source is one of your local art supply stores – a place where artists tend to post their meet-up notices, private instructions, and uninstructed sessions with models.

7.Keep a sketchbook

Keep a sketchbook with you at all times. This will remind you of grabbing your pen or pencil to draw something. Always be ready with your drawing gear, including pens, pencils, figure mannequins, and a sketchbook.

8.Be intentional

Perfect Drawing

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When you need to get better at drawing, it should be intentional. One should decide to commit to it. Drawers need to make up their mind on when to draw something. Designate a specific time in a week or day. If you want to succeed in particular skills, build and follow a habit of it.


Featured Image Credits: Pixabay

6 Common Home Improvement Myths

6 Common Home Improvement Myths

There’s a lot of talk about renovations and the best way to handle them. Unfortunately for homeowners, much of the advice out there often contradicts itself. Talk to one contractor, and he might tell you to always expect a reno to cost 10 percent more than you expected; talk to another, and he’ll insist you should never pay a penny more than the initial bid. Navigating these waters can be tricky, so always do your research, follow your gut—and disregard these common renovation beliefs. Because when it comes to upgrading your home, you can’t believe anything you hear.

Home renovations will always get you a good return on your investment

Don’t expect to drop $20k on a bathroom remodel and then make every penny back when you decide to sell. In general, improvements don’t give you a dollar-for-dollar return on investment, but rather a percentage (typically between 50 and 80 percent). That’s why you should always upgrade your home, first and foremost, for you. After all, you’re the one currently living there, so if you think your kitchen’s backsplash could use a refresh, go for it.

You can DIY everything

Yes, handy homeowners can tackle many projects on their own—as long as they have a good toolkit and are willing to do some research—but that doesn’t mean they should rewire their house themselves. Projects that involve roofing, a home’s structural elements, and electricity are better left to the pros. Ask yourself this: Have I ever tried this task before, and am I even the slightest bit worried about accomplishing it, or doing harm to myself or the house in the process? If the answer is yes, call in the experts.

DIY is cheaper than hiring a pro

Generally this is true only if what you’re doing involves tools and materials you can easily access, and the project takes up a minimum amount of your time. Unfortunately, not all DIY projects actually end up this way. If you run into problems, need to buy more or new materials, or worst of all, have to hire a pro to redo everything you’ve done, you’ve just flushed the money you saved down the toilet (and then some).

Paint can hide anything

Paint does wonders for freshening up a room or disguising minor imperfections. But if your wall has noticeable nicks, mold, or any other kind of damage, it’s a bad idea to try to simply cover it up with a fresh coat. In these cases, fix the problem first, then break out the brush.

Home Improvement

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Fixing something is cheaper than replacing it

A stopgap repair is fine for the time being, but it could end up costing you more down the road, especially if the repair isn’t done properly or doesn’t fix the whole problem. When something breaks, consider its age, quality, and condition. If it’s in otherwise good shape and was a smart investment, doing a repair may be all you need. But if it’s something that wasn’t great to begin with, you may just want to start from scratch.

You should renovate following current design trends

Shiplap walls and bold patterned tile look cool now, but how will they fare in five years? It’s tempting to renovate with trendy colors and materials, but you also run the risk of your home looking dated once they go out of style. Consider the pastel wallpaper and brassy fixtures people loved in the ’80s: Hip then, a disaster now. If you do love trends, work them into your home in ways that are easy to change. That generally means avoiding trendy materials for permanent materials like countertops and flooring.


This article by Jessica Dodell-Feder was previously published on Apartmenttherapy.com

Featured Image Credits: Pixabay